The Day We Won: Epic

Cafe Locked Out

People watching the crowds of people arrive

The day before, I stood at the front gates of Epic Park as vehicles kept arriving from all over Australia. These vehicles were flying Australian flags—both red and blue—and many of these flags were upside down. The windows of the vehicles were covered in slogans: “Hands off our kids,” “End the mandates,” and “Freedom.”

As soon as they passed through the gate, a small crowd cheered, and the occupants of the vehicles cheered too. They had made it. They were here now and helping to create EPIC, or to others, the temporary Anti-Vax Capitol of Australia.

The next day, just before the big march, the steady arrival of Australians turned into a tsunami. All day, Epic Park’s main winding road was a traffic jam of cars filled with people who had come from every corner of the country to demand that the government return their freedoms and leave their children alone.

Everyone here—these witnesses—stated that they had never experienced anything like this before. Many of them were older, some teary with joy, assuring us that nothing like this had ever happened before, in Australia.

This was a Gathering of Guardians, the defenders of freedom.

But was this organic, nationwide, communal protest was the birth of a new nation?

Once inside, they set up their swags and tents, parked their caravans, or set up beds in their cars, all without anyone telling them where to park. They figured it out together. Instead of awkwardly discussing the footy or the weather, they vigorously shook hands and then exclaimed, “Fuck it,” before fitfully embracing. They asked each other if they needed anything, shared food, beer, and dope, and laughed as they cried. As the new arrivals told us where they were from, we all cheered in this new city where there were no QR codes, no social distancing, and no masks.

For a moment, the police tried to close the park, but it was a bubble in a storm. Our numbers and passion were an unstoppable force, and once the gates reopened, we surged back in, continuing throughout the night and into the next day.

The following day’s great march was just the party to celebrate the victory of Friday.

And the reason it was a victory was because we had answered the great question:

“What sort of future do Australians want?”

The answer? The government and the mainstream media’s propaganda machine could never compel this many people to make their way, on their own volition, to the country’s capital, chanting, “I really want to take the booster.”

The answer is clear: the people want freedom.

The only temporary defense those in power have had to counteract this great and beautiful truth has been to quibble about the numbers.

As always, it appears that courage is finally trumping fear.

Sadly, we will probably have to play out the rest of the game, which could take a while, but it is only for show. As I said, somewhere in the halls of power, they have figured this out too: in this war, brought to the people, we, the people, have already won.

Michael Gray Griffith

“Written in Epic Park,”